5 Big Challenges to Getting Mobile Strategy Right for Retailers

By Dipesh Hinduja – Mobile Solutions Architect, Stratix

Mobile has become quite the buzzword for brick-and-mortar retailers. As consumers have become increasingly dependent on mobile devices for every facet of their life, their behavior has evolved to fully embrace online shopping paradigms such as Buy Online, Pick Up in Store (BOPUS) and Same-Day Delivery as their default method of shopping replacing in-store visits.

At the same time, the brick-and-mortar landscape is shifting via contraction and consolidation. In this world, even retailers that are closing stores must maintain or increase their spending on in-store mobile deployment just to survive, much less to spur growth. According to the latest research from IHL Group, effective in-store mobile deployment – for everything from inventory lookup to mobile Point of Sale throughout the store – can lead to year-over-year growth of up to 146%. In other words, effective mobile strategy is no longer an option – it’s table stakes.

Simply throwing money and devices at the problem, however, does not mean that increased sales are a given. The retailers surveyed in IHL’s report revealed five big challenges as they seek to deploy mobility in-store:

75% cite having proper applications in place

60% cite lack of staff to manage

59% cite lack of support / help desk resources

47% cite lack of EMV certification or good payment options

59% cite managing / monitoring mobile security

Addressing all of these is no small feat. Real-time visibility, deployment, management and support of mobile devices for a retail workforce requires specialized knowledge, applications and experience.

That’s why your competitors are getting smarter about finding a partner with a proven track record in managed enterprise mobility across all retail verticals. In this new retail landscape, your brick-and-mortar locations cannot afford to fall behind due to poor mobile device management and implementation. Get ahead by selecting the right mobility partner to craft the right mobile strategy for your enterprise.